Let's chat

Caught up with Angeline and Nura...they're tired but glad they still took time to meet up. We chatted over Subway sandwiches, fries, calamari and fruits - our dinner :P Hmm, sometimes, I think in the hustle and bustle of life, every one of us do need time and space to share our thoughts and understand various perspectives...Well, I guess we had a good chat.

A reminder to myself

Stop daydreaming, stop idling, stop denying, stop being that silly gal and stop assuming that you still have lotsa time. Laziness has been the ruler in your life for the past one week or so. Your brain needs to take control or rather start assuming an important role in your life journey for the next half of the year. You need to get back the momentum and start pacing yourself...Hmm, ready or not, prepared or not, you still need to continue to tread on.

Walking, stopping and drinking

As I was walking along a busy street in town in the hot afternoon, two teenagers (probably secondary level) approached me and asked politely if I would like to buy a badge and all proceeds will go to Ren Ci Hospital. I commented that they should be having their school holidays and asked why they were doing this? One of them replied with a smile and said, "We want to do something to help others." I bought a badge and wished them a good day, at the same time, thinking of my days as a student selling flags. Ha, I thought I was really a shy girl then but as I looked back, glad I did something to help too :)

I looked down and saw a T-junction where many cars stopped and moved on. I looked at life and asked left or right? Hmm, are you lost?...I seek comfort from the cup of tea...

Oops, its dim sum again...

It's supposed to ooze out and it did...the interesting blend of sweetness and saltiness had a way of delighting the taste buds.

Prawn paste fried chicken...they were piping hot when served. Not really a fan of fried chicken but I thought I liked the taste of it. Real crispy on the outside and tender inside.

Too early for rice dumplings?...Nah, dun think so. We tried the huge dumpling, lotsa lean meat. Nice but I still prefer nonya rice dumplings.

Panfried yam with pumpkin in between...like the sweetness of the pumpkin in between the taro

XO carrot cake with bean sprouts...pretty spicy and reminded me of the kinda carrot cake I had in Penang. Well, anything with bean sprouts will somehow be tempting to me.

Ha, this is always my favourite :P

Caught up with a group of friends (secondary school friends) and we had lunch at The Cathay Restaurant. Had mostly dim sum. Hmm, not bad but I wouldn't say it's awesome. I remember asking a friend of mine some time ago where can we get really wonderful dim sum in Singapore coz I dun think I have really tasted really awesome ones that are considered unforgettable. Most that I had tasted were pretty decent I guess. The above are just some of my personal favourites at The Cathay Restaurant, ha, we ordered quite a few others too.

Chilli Padi

Chempedak chendol...XF and I shared this, lovely and authentic, well, at least to me. Not really sure what kinda fruit chempedak is but I think this is really one of the best chendol I have tasted besides those in Malacca.

Fresh soursop...Didi's dessert, had the whole bowl to himself coz apparently, he's the only one who fancies this exotic fruit. I think he was really enjoying his dessert :P My parents also enjoyed the pulot hitam.

Bak wan kepetin...XF loved this soup. Not bad to me, seemed a little different from what I usually taste. We also had the chap chye, good! :)

Ayam bua kuluak...you really need to eat this with rice, gravy's generous and fantastic, the meat was also tender.

Yes! Finally got to eat fish head, wonder when was the last time I had one, was craving for the huge eye and the tender flesh surrounding the eye of the fish head. Hmm, although gravy was nice, we felt that maybe the fish head had been cooked for too long.

Sotong hitam...loved this! Squid with black ink, squid was fresh and it's simply yummy! But I think only Didi and I seemed to savour this dish. The rest are probably not into black ink squid :P

Ngoh hiang...skin was crispy and the fillings were fresh, real delicious when dipped in sweet sauce and sambal belacan

XF and Didi are back in town. Besides packing their stuff in our old house, I guess the next important agenda for them whenever they are back would be eating. Didi suggested having Nonya food for lunch so we decided to head to Joo Chiat Place for some Nonya food at Chilli Padi. It has been a long time since we last had a meal there. Eating spicy food for the first time since I recovered from my sore throat and persistent cough :P Yummy!

French beans or long beans

Mummy decided that we should use long beans for fried rice, instead of using french beans all the time. I thought that was a good suggestion, it turned out pretty well, as nice as french beans, if not, better :P As usual, prepared a variety of ingredients...long beans, carrots, button mushroom, char siew and eggs. Decided to fry some of those small ikan bilis to add on top of the fried rice for garnishing. No regrets! Loved the crunchiness with every mouthful of the fried rice. Some will say that the aesthetics is not important in cooking but somehow I beg to differ. I like my food to be pretty too, it does have a way of cheering me up and it seems to also make me enjoy my food more. Well, a simple meal of fried rice but satisfying :)

Baby's dinner

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~ Ben Williams

I couldn't agree more. Sunny Baby must had been real surprised that I visited this afternoon. As usual, he kept vying for my attention the moment I stepped in. Gave him a big squeeze and a few pecks on his nose. Hee, he started licking my chin continuously, er, my chin was kinda wet after that :P But it was really lovely and sweet of him. He simply made my day by being so affectionate and for being such a darling. At one point of time, he laid on his back on the sofa and I started tickling him all over. Ha, I think he loved it and played along by rolling from side to side on his back, stretching his furry limbs...he did not say anything or rather he could not say anything but my sixth sense told me that he longed for some company. I hope I made his day as much as he had made my day :) Spent some time with him at the balcony, as usual, he was curious. Got him some doggy eclairs and he had one in his dish bowl for dinner today. Guess what, the eclair was the first target he 'attacked', eclair was gone pretty soon. Surprisingly, hungry Baby finished the rest of his dinner in less than three minutes I think, faster than usual. I sat on the sofa and stretched out my arms, wanting to give him a cuddle. Haha, he thought I wanted to play, he went to his little toy basket and brought me a toy. Well, I guess it's play time after dinner :) ...Hmm, I think the most difficult part to me has always been saying goodbye. When I said "Bye bye" to him, he would gave me a look that if I looked into his eyes long enough, I think I would tear. I hated that silence when he stood near the door, so different when I first greeted him at the door when I stepped in. As usual, he would see me wave and the lift door open and then close...

It rained...

Roller and Pinkie...simply oblivious

Slacker's slacking as usual...

It was raining near noon time today. I was sitting near the big window in my room taking a good look at the neighbourhood and listening to the sound of the rain hitting on my windows. Could not go swimming but glad it rained, at least it cooled off the immense heat from the real sunny and hot weather the past few days. Except for the sound of the rain, it's a pretty quiet afternoon...

I cooked lunch!

Home alone and decided to cook lunch, getting sick of food bought outside too. Took a peep into the refrigerator, happy to find celery, love them! Was thinking it would go well with the white fishcake and some carrots. I was careful not to stir fry the celery for too long coz would still want to savour the crunchiness of it. Found a new packet of hor fun (which was written on the wrapper) meant to be cooked in boiling water, was wondering if it's Mummy who had bought it. Ha, but have a strong feeling it's me, left it there in the food cabinet and almost forgotten about it :P Well, QQ, nice! It's almost like a kinda Italian pasta, maybe can be cooked with pasta sauce too the next time. Heated up the leftover tofu with mushroom from the previous night and had it on the noodles. Loved my lunch (well, maybe my expectation wasn't that high) :P

The great philosopher...Socrates

Chanced upon this short quote but it got my attention...

Beware the barrenness of a busy life ~ Socrates

Still getting my attention...I wonder why...Is it the barrenness? Or is it the busy life?...This quote has got me more interested in Socrates. Found some info which I thought was interesting about this great philosopher...

Socrates was usually to be found in the marketplace and other public areas, conversing with a variety of different people—young and old, male and female, slave and free, rich and poor—that is, with virtually anyone he could persuade to join with him in his question-and-answer mode of probing serious matters. Socrates' lifework consisted in the examination of people's lives, his own and others', because “the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being,” as he says at his trial (Plato, Apology 38a). Socrates pursued this task single-mindedly, questioning people about what matters most, e.g., courage, love, reverence, moderation, and the state of their souls generally. He did this regardless of whether his respondents wanted to be questioned or resisted him; and Athenian youths imitated Socrates' questioning style, much to the annoyance of some of their parents. He had a reputation for irony, though what that means exactly is controversial; at a minimum, Socrates' irony consisted in his saying that he knew nothing of importance and wanted to listen to others, yet keeping the upper hand in every discussion.

(Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/socrates/)

But when Socrates was in his forties or so, he began to feel an urge to think about the world around him, and try to answer some difficult questions. He asked, "What is wisdom?" and "What is beauty?" and "What is the right thing to do?" He knew that these questions were hard to answer, and he thought it would be better to have a lot of people discuss the answers together, so that they might come up with more ideas. So he began to go around Athens asking people he met these questions, "What is wisdom?", "What is piety?", and so forth. Sometimes the people just said they were busy, but sometimes they would try to answer him. Then Socrates would try to teach them to think better by asking them more questions which showed them the problems in their logic. Often this made people angry. Sometimes they even beat him up.

(Retrieved from http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/philosophy/socrates.htm)

Hmm, personally, I think it would be interesting and insightful to know more and think about the questions he asked. But I wonder if asking questions with no right answers is gonna irritate and anger people in the present society and community that we live within. Maybe... How many people are really comfortable with this kinda questioning? Hmm, or should I ask how many of us do wanna spend time asking and thinking about these questions, especially in an efficiency-driven environment? To what extent would it then be beneficial? But do we believe in the benefits in this kinda conversation? I am not sure if I should ask any more questions...

Yet another birthday baby

Celebrated my very good friend's birthday at PS Cafe (Harding Road) - her choice to spend a Monday afternoon. It was kinda crowded during lunch time and pretty noisy but thank goodness, when we were sipping on our tea after our meal at about three o'clock in the afternoon, there weren't many diners and we loved the peace and quiet in the cafe then. Well, at least we did not have to raise our voices when we talked and we could see more of the greenery outside with the empty chairs and tables surrounding ours. I liked the pumpkin soup, had the whole bowl of it on my own as my dear very good friend doesn't like pumpkin (She hates all the healthy food, ha :P). I ordered the PS Harding Club sandwich, lotsa vege and liked the beetroot sandwiched between the bacon and turkey too. My very good friend ordered fish and chips. Never realised we spent the whole afternoon at the cafe, it was almost five in the evening when we left. She doesn't like cakes so I guess it's a birthday without a cake :P Would love to order a slice of their cakes but dun think I was capable of having the whole slice on my own, each slice is really huge! Well, did enjoy my old ginger root tea though. Dearest Guiyu, don't always shy away from the camera, you look nice :) Ha, I think Charlotte is really an exact copy of you. Have a real wonderful and special birthday, as wonderful and as special as you are...Happy Birthday dear :)

My first night...

After days of packing and moving, I finally managed to get all my stuff over to the new place. Phew! It's tiring... Tonight, I am gonna spend my first night sleeping in my new room. Lying on my bed, the ceiling kinda looks different, feel a little strange that I am gonna spend the rest of this year in this apartment, still trying to get used to it I guess. Hope my first night will be peaceful and comfy. I have only brought along a few plush toys, they currently line one side of my bed, good to see familiar faces :) Nitezzz...

Bittergourd isn't really that bitter

When did I cook this? Hmm...I think it should be on Thursday. I was so busy moving stuff to the new place that I have really forgotten what really happened the past week. Anyway, I was curious to try out fermented black beans (I think this is the name coz I only know how to name it in Teochew). I tried that for yong tau hoo previously and thought maybe I wanna also try that out with bittergourd this time. Usually, Mummy would stir fry bittergourd with eggs but I tried bittergourd with minced meat and fermented black beans. You know, I always have a lack of confidence whenever I do marketing at the wet market. I was at this stall buying this kinda fermented black beans and I asked that auntie in Teochew very softly (hoping I did not pronounce it wrongly) if she had what I needed. She kinda gave me a look that says..."Excuse me, can't you see what stall this is? If I dun have it, who else would have?" She gave me a small packet of it and I quickly paid for it and walked off :P It's cheap, a packet of it for fifty cents. But frankly speaking, I wouldn't even know if I were to be cheated buying stuff in a wet market. Those that frequent the wet market often really know the products and prices well. Most of all, noticed that they're so capable at bargaining.

When I stir fried the black beans with the minced meat, it smelt great! But I was careful not to add too much coz the taste could be overpowering. Simple dish of bittergourd but I liked it, have always been a fan of bittergourd anyway :P I usually like to have porridge for dinner and I thought this, together with steamed codfish, goes well with my porridge. Sigh, have not had spicy food for quite some time already...really miss chilli padi, crave for ice cream too, dun mind some french fries, maybe a peanut butter toast would be good too :P Some people just do not learn, do they?

That irritating cough

Comments from others about my sore throat, loss of voice and persistent cough...

It must be God's decision to remind you to eat well and take good care of yourself, especially your throat.

It must be what you have been eating and binging on, greedy gal. Ice cream, pastries, chips, chilli padi and all, what else are you capable of eating?

It must be the fact that you have not been projecting your voice for quite some time. You are destined to use that voice more. You know, things get rusty after not using them for some time.

I kinda find the above pretty interesting as I was thinking about them, I guess must thank my friends for all the comments. This cough of mine has lasted for almost two weeks, goodness, the longest I have ever had since don't know when. I was coughing till my ribs hurt actually :( Sigh, miss my original voice too... Need to work hard to get that original voice back and stop that occasional irritating cough!

Another birthday baby

We celebrated Rene's birthday at Daniel Boulud at MBS. Nice ambience, great and attentive service I must say but I thought food was just alright. I kinda liked the celery soup and the chop chop salad (real refreshing to start off the meal). I had pork as my main, well, I thought the pork on its own wouldn't really shine without the nicely done and delicious purple cabbage as a side. The beef patty for the burger was really huge. Apparently, foie gras was stuffed into the the patty. Did not really try that coz the two slices of pork that I had was kinda enough meat for me for the day :P Dessert was tempting but didn't dare eat much coz still coughing. But had a slice of the chocolate cake that Kat has baked for Rene though. Great effort and real sweet of Kat for her "Rocky Heart" :) ...Cough! Cough! Oops, too much chocolate for the day :P There were lotsa smiles and laughter today...Happy Birthday Rene dearie :)

The power of scent

A new scent in my new room... Hmm, I think it was my birthday present last year. Hey no, I think it was my Christmas present last year, ha, oops :P Still busy trying to pack and tidy things in my new room but really love the new scent. The aromatic wood is supposed to increase energy and joy, well, I think it does, every whiff of it :) Have not lit the candle (lemongrass scent) yet but I believe it's gonna be good for relaxation especially near bedtime...sweet dreamzzz...

At the mahjong table

Hmm, this picture certainly does not really match the content of my post but took this picture while lazing at my friend's place eating soya bean curd...After a night of mahjong, we stayed overnight at my friend's place, it was really a lazy Sunday morning the next day...yawn!

I think I first played mahjong with my grandparents and siblings. The three of us were still kiddos when our grandparents taught us. Ha, my father wasn't really happy about us learning how to play mahjong :P If I can still remember correctly, we had that mahjong table in our Whampoa three-room flat and my late grandfather was trying to go round the table to give advice as the three of us were playing with my grandmother. As a child, I don't think I know how to strategise so that I could win big bucks. Well, as an adult now, I still think that I don't know how to strategise, I probably do not even know the rules of the game well :P Just last weekend, was at a friend's place to play mahjong. They were talking foreign language to me at the mahjong table, I didn't understand some of the terms mentioned but thank goodness, my friends were patient and tried explaining to me certain rules (or maybe coz we were not using real money :P). Oh my, but I think I still went away a little blur, numbers have a way of causing confusion in my life at times. Sigh, my number sense is really poor... But guess I did learn a little at the mahjong table that night, well, at least I am not the biggest loser :P

Ikan bilis...the smaller ones

The ikan bilis were placed on top of the long beans that I cooked. I liked the taste of them with the vegetables! It's good to have them with porridge too. I simply love simple food!

Mummy said that I did a good job pan-frying them, they're all of the right crisp **beaming with pride** :)

Mummy shared with me about the use of ikan bilis (the smaller ones) in dishes, especially vegetables.

Getting stuff packed and organised but not decisive enough

These two dolls still look so new after all these years. They were wrapped in plastic all these years. Mummy asked me to make a decision about their fate. I could not make up my mind...I was not decisive. In the end, decided to put them on the shelf first, maybe I think I still wanna keep them.

It seemed that they took up most of my storage space in my room. About three quarter of these gotta go (Salvation Army)...I am really sorry teddies :( I still have a box of them and a big bag of some smaller ones in my room, all not in this picture. Still thinking and deciding...

I could not bear to throw this box away, the little cards in the box were gone long ago but I remember using it to keep many of my kiddy stuff like little dolls' clothes or small toys. I think as a kid, I also pretended that it's like a briefcase to carry things, haha! Well, it's an empty box now but just could not bear to place it in the garbage bag...

I really did not know packing can be so tiring. Got most of my stuff out the cupboards and started packing them all in boxes today. Spent the whole morning and afternoon packing...real tiring. I have lived in this house most parts of my life and there are really lots that I have kept over the years. Well, I guess today it's time to also let go of some. I think the next big 'headache' will be clothes...

Loyalty

A friend shared this quote on Facebook...

"Loyalty means not that I agree with everything you say or that I believe you are always right. Loyalty means that I share a common ideal with you and, regardless of differences, we fight for it, shoulder to shoulder, confident in one another's good faith, trust, constancy and affection." ~ Dr. Karl A. Menninger

I could not agree more on sharing a common ideal and purpose. There will always be differences but what's more important is how we fight for that common ideal together...But are we focusing more on the differences or the common ideal? Is there a common ideal?

Tofu with mushroom + wolfberries

In addition to Mummy's braised chicken, she suggested that we should cook the piece of tofu in the refrigerator for dinner too and I volunteered to do that. Took a peek into the refrigerator to look for other ingredients that could go with tofu. Happy to find mushroom, got some carrots and wolfberries out from the refrigerator too. Steamed the tofu first and then stir fried the rest of the ingredients, added some water and sauces. Thickened the gravy and added a beaten egg, hoping to add a little texture to the dish. Had the gravy all over the steamed tofu. I simply loved to eat my own simple creation (silly gal!), I think the wolfberries had added some sweetness to the dish. Mummy said I must have had eaten too much heaty food outside and that explained the bad throat and the loss of voice. I have a feeling I am gonna have lotsa homecooked food the next few days :P

Birthday baby

We had lunch at Imperial Treasure at Crowne Plaza to celebrate Mark's birthday. It was really crowded yesterday. I think dim sum over there was better than Old Hong Kong Taste :P But I was on the verge of losing my voice after having a sore throat so did not really eat the great variety that the rest had ordered, especially those deep fried ones. I knew what the birthday boy wanted to eat when he first chose that restaurant for lunch :P It's none other than the pig trotters with lotsa vinegar. I believe that that restaurant at the airport is probably quite a nice place to have dim sum during weekdays, ha, I probably kinda still love peace and quiet while eating my dim sum. Silly gal, it's not your birthday so quit talking about your preference k! :P Well, a nice chat (with my almost voiceless voice) with the rest over a cuppa tea was a good way to spend the lazy afternoon. Not forgetting the company of Sunny baby! :) ...Happy Birthday Mark :)

The king of the jungle roars

While walking on Helix Bridge...beautiful sunset, isn't it?

The musical "The Lion King" was at MBS but I parked at Esplanade and managed to take a look at some art installations...This picture was taken while looking up...

I am so glad that I managed to catch the internationally-acclaimed musical "The Lion King" over the weekend. I was totally mesmerised. It was awesome, every minute of it! I gasped at the beginning of the musical, totally awed by the props and how the whole brilliant cast had created such a perfect coordination of the whole jungle scene out of the whole theatre. Great effects, glorious colours and simply loved the enchanting music. The use of percussion and traditional musical instruments added much flavour to the musical and had created a real celebrative mood, ha, kinda made me wanna put on a tribal outfit and dance to the music :P The whole theatrical experience was soul-stirring. At the end of the musical, the cast and crew were given a standing ovation and cheers were heard from every corner of the theatre. Great job!! It's definitely a musical that I will not forget...

Siew mai, har gao, char siew bao

Sometimes, I think I eat the darnest things that most ladies won't eat :P I loved these chicken feet or hmm, do they have a more elegant name for these? Anyway, one of my favourites for dim sum!

I think really good char siew has a way of melting in your mouth...this char siew was good but I wish there could be more char siew filling :P

The har were fresh...okie, not too bad

Shanghai xiao long bao...soup is fine but I thought the skin was a little thick.

My father wanted to try the chicken with szechuan sauce...pretty spicy and reminded me of ma la steamboat

Had dim sum with my parents yesterday afternoon, kinda a late lunch for us. We liked Old Hong Kong Taste at Serangoon Gardens when we went during the Chinese New Year period early this year. It was almost half past two in the afternoon and the restaurant was still quite crowded. Ha, I wonder if there's a quiet place to eat dim sum but well, maybe the authentic environment for eating dim sum is supposed to be noisy and filled with people :P Hmm, despite the crowd, service was still good and fast when we were there on Saturday. We ordered six kinds of dim sum, chicken and a plate of noodles. Ha, quite a lot I should say for just the three of us. Food wasn't that oily and salty but we seemed to agree that the food wasn't as great as it was the first time we went there early this year. A little disappointing for us I guess...

Have I forgotten to mention...

I believe this is worth mentioning... It was a real hot day last Thursday and I entered the room with my palms and feet so cold that they felt like it was winter. Went to check my table number at the entrance of the room before sitting down at my designated seat. Very carefully, I laid out my stationery, books and notes on my table. Gosh, I hated that feeling! It must have had been many years ago that I had experienced that kinda...that kinda fear. But thank goodness, the invigilator standing in front created a more relaxed atmosphere with his sense of humour. We were told to start and like what I did when I was a student many years ago, I flipped through the pages to take a look at the questions. Oh no, oh no, seemed tough, kinda daunting...but told myself that I needed to get started. Three hours wasn't really enough for me to figure out the answers to all the questions but I guess I did what I can...Verdict: Real difficult paper, all application questions. In addition to that, it was also my weak module, I really gave up on one or two statistical questions, totally foreign to me! :( I remember one of my coursemates told me that statistics is dead, just need to follow rules. Haiz, then I wish I could understand the death in it at times and the issue could also be I don't like to follow rules at times or could it be I simply cannot relate to those rules :P Anyway, was glad when the three hours were over, final test is over! That spelt the end of my semester, yippee! So, I am still gonna say this out loud...LAST ONE DOWN, till the next couple of assignments or tests come along in the next semester, it's me SWITCHING OFF...

Here I come again...cooking up a little something

A dish that I had been wanting to try for quite some time...petai with prawns in nonya sambal sauce from Prima Taste. Petai was a little hard, was wondering if I had put them in boiling water long enough before stir-frying.

Loved the crunchiness of the bean sprouts in the egg :) Was thinking of what else could be added to the eggs together with the bean sprouts but in the end, I think the mere and sole existence of the bean sprouts had pleasantly surprised me with its simple yet delectable taste.

Stir fried the bean sprouts with fish sauce first before placing them on the beaten eggs in the saucepan to form bean sprouts omelette.

Two of my friends had asked if I have been cooking recently, having not spotted any 'sign' of cooking in my blog for the past month. Indeed, I was a little tied up with the completion of a few of my assignments that I was probably not in the mood to cook up something. Two days ago, I was studying for my final test but just simply felt that I could not really concentrate, could not sit properly even. You know, when the desire or the mood to cook comes, denying it is simply not doing justice to yourself :) Closed my book and headed to the supermarket with some ideas which I would like to try out for dinner that day.

The little secret in Punggol...perfect match

I knew I just had to put these two photographs together... Don't ask me why coz sometimes there just isn't a reason...